Tire question

First time poster here. sorry if I'm in the wrong place. Please be kind!

 

2009 Legacy R3.0

I got a puncture in the side wall of one of my tires.

My wife was upset I bought the tires from where I did because no road hazard warranty, so i took it to costco to appease her.

 

It turns out that Costco says that Subaru says my tire recommended speed/weight rating is 91W, whereas I have 87V on my car now. Is this a big deal?

 

Costco originally told me I can get away with just buying one tire because the wear on the other 3 are not so bad. But now they are saying they won't replace it because of the above discrepancy.

 

I already ordered the tire, and it just arrived today. They just called me and told me this. so I have to go in and discuss after work.

 

Thoughts? Options?

Thats pretty standard tire store policy. But unless you plan on actually driving over 149 mph its a non issue. Dont worry about it - EXCEPT that Subaru has symmetrical AWD so you have to be sure the difference in tread depth is MAX 2/32" to ensure no advanced wear on awd system.

Chances are costco is most concerned with the different/lower load rating of the tires you're using. If subaru says that your car requires a load rating of 91, they probably won't put anything lower than that on your car for liability reasons.

 

Load rating/index info

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=35

 

I was going to run some numbers, but I can't find the GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating, weight of car, full tank of gas, full cargo capacity and full passenger capacity) or similar specs for a 3.0R legacy. The best I can do is curb weight (car + full tank of gas) which is 3511lbs.

http://www.edmunds.com/subaru/legacy/2009/features-specs/?style=101016547

 

So your tires with a load rating of 87 can each support 1201lbs, x4 is 4804lbs. Subaru recommends a tire with a load rating of 91, which can each support 1356lbs, x4 is 5424lbs. Like I said above, the total weight of your legacy, with a full tank of gas, no passengers is 3511lbs.

 

It's also important to note what Markbo is saying, all four tires must be within 2/32" to make the awd system happy and prevent the possibility of damage from occurring. This might not sound like much, but it's really all about the total circumference of the tire, and that little bit of 2/32" adds up.

 

Anytime a safety issue is discussed, I don't like to give my opinion. I'd rather lay out all the facts, and let the person decide for themselves.

 

*If you decide to use the new tire, I would just take the new tire and wheel that got the flat to a different shop and have them mount and balance the tire on the wheel. Then I would just take the wheel/tire home and put it on the car myself.

^^^What he said about the mount. I don't know where you live, but Tire Rack can also shave the new tire to match the other three if there is more than the 2/32" difference.

Thank you everybody for your help. Costco agreed to install the tire but made me sign a waiver.

 

to answer some questions:

The other 3 tires had about 8/32 of tread left. Costco told me new tire has 10/32, so that's why they allowed me to buy only one tire. each of the 3 tires had 14K miles on them.

………..It turns out that Costco says that Subaru says my tire recommended speed/weight rating is 91W, whereas I have 87V on my car now. Is this a big deal?………….

 

What does the tire placard on your door jamb say about the load index? 87 or 91?

Thank you everybody for your help. Costco agreed to install the tire but made me sign a waiver.

 

 

Oh man do I wish more places would do this. There have been so many times where I could have done business with a company by signing a waiver.

Hmmm interesting. NTB/Tire Kingdom/Big O tire wouldnt do that and it would make it so much easier for a customer

^^^What he said about the mount. I don't know where you live, but Tire Rack can also shave the new tire to match the other three if there is more than the 2/32" difference.

 

 

I thought it was tire circumference that was more important rather than tread depth?

For tires of the same brand, style, and size, tread depth is directly related to circumference.

 

Circumference = 2*pi*r

r gets small with more tread wear

Oh man do I wish more places would do this. There have been so many times where I could have done business with a company by signing a waiver.

 

Hmmm interesting. NTB/Tire Kingdom/Big O tire wouldnt do that and it would make it so much easier for a customer

 

because lawyer. Waiver doesn't mean jack if you get in an accident.

 

Load rating of 87 is low for subaru. I used 91-94 on mine, however, have a wagon.

 

2/32" is borderline for adding a new tire to the mix. You're lucky they let you make the change.